Kat Cooper Season 2024

HONORS
2023 Mountain West All-Academic Selection
2022 Mountain West All-Academic Selection
2022-23 Mountain West Scholar-Athlete

2023 SEASON (As A Sophomore): Was slowed by injury during her second year on The Mesa, appearing in just 14 matches with nine starts… Totaled 48 kills (1.30/set), 22 blocks (0.59/set) and 10 digs (0.27/set) across 37 sets… Tied her career high with five blocks (1 solo) in the Aztecs’ season-opening victory over Cal State Fullerton at the Hotel Vance Rose City Showdown in Portland, Oregon (8-25-23)… Knocked down six kills in the each of the tournament’s final two matches against Kansas State (8-26-23) and host Portland State (8-27-23)… Also served up a career-high two service aces in that former contest vs. the Wildcats… Hit .714 in a sweep of Denver at the UC San Diego Invitational, launching five kills in seven attempts without an error while contributing a pair of block assists (9-8-23)… Posted an identical .714 clip (5-0-7) in the Mountain West opener at UNLV where she also notched one block assist (9-19-23)… Matched her collegiate best with four block assists at New Mexico (10-26-23)… Made her final start of the year at Air Force, compiling four kills, one dig and one block assist… Came off the bench for one set in the season finale vs. UNLV at home (11-18-23)… Landed on the Mountain West all-academic team for the second year in a row.

2022 SEASON (As A Freshman): Saw action in 26 matches during her rookie campaign, making 10 starts … Posted 81 kills (1.01/set), 35 blocks (0.44/set) and 25 digs (0.31/set) in 80 sets played … Finished with at least five kills in eight different matches … Earned six straight starts to begin her collegiate career, including a six-kill performance in the season-opener vs. California at the SDSU Invitational (8-26-22) … Posted five blocks (one solo) in consecutive matches the following day against Army and UC San Diego, helping the Aztecs close out their home tournament with a pair of  victories (8-27-22) … Recorded season highs of seven kills and a .600 hitting percentage (7-1-10) in that latter contest vs. the Tritons … Blasted six kills on 13 attempts for a .462 efficiency while contributing a solo block in a start at crosstown adversary San Diego (9-17-22) … Continued her brisk hitting with a .429 clip against San José State, matching her season high with seven kills on 14 swings against one error (9-22-22) … Registered four kills and four blocks (one solo) in a four-set triumph at Wyoming, as the Scarlet and Black put the brakes on a seven-match losing streak to the Cowgirls and emerged victorious for the first time in 10 trips to Laramie dating back to 2012 (10-29-22) … Helped the Aztecs clinch a the sixth and final spot in the Mountain West Championship with five kills and three block assists in the regular-season finale at San José State (11-19-22) … Earned a spot on the Mountain West all-academic team following the fall semester and received scholar-athlete recognition.

HIGH SCHOOL:  Graduated from Har-Ber High School in Springdale, Arkansas, where she was a four-time all-conference selection … Received All-America honorable mention from the American Volleyball Coaches Association to go with AVCA All-Region IV distinction as a senior after leading Har-Ber High to a 33-2 overall record and a runner-up finish in the 6A bracket at the 2021 Arkansas state championships … Garnered all-state accolades and earned a spot on the all-state tournament team in each of her final three seasons … Posted 968 kills and a .339 hitting percentage during her high school career to go with 178 digs, 167 blocks and 99 service aces, according to MaxPreps … Recorded her highest efficiency as a prep with a .403 clip in 2021, propelling the Wildcats to a 6A West conference championship with a 14-0 record … Merited first-team all-Arkansas Preps distinction in 2020 after landing on the all-Arkansas Preps underclassmen team in 2018 and 2019 … Also appeared on the AVCA Phenom List … Was twice nominated for Gatorade Player of the Year honors … Excelled in the classroom as well, earning a spot on Har-Ber High’s honor roll all four years while gaining National Honor Society membership … Served on her school’s student council for two years in 2019 and 2020 … Drew interest from Long Beach State, DePaul, Georgetown, Yale and Central Arkansas during the recruiting process … Was also a member of her school’s track and field team, competing in the 400 meters, 300 hurdles and high jump.

CLUB: Landed on Prep Volleyball’s Top 150 for club competitors in 2022 after appearing on the magazine’s Soph 79 and Frosh 59 lists.

PERSONAL: Katherine Cooper was born in Johnson, Arkansas … Daughter of Drew and Sara Cooper … Her grandfather played college basketball at Minnesota State-Mankato … Lists Kim Hill, Kerry Walsh Jennings and Steph Curry as her favorite athletes … Enjoys discovering new music, cooking breakfast, watching scary movies and spending time with family and friends … Intends to major in applied mathematics at San Diego State with career plans to become an actuary or engineer.